Interview with Roweena Stewart

Southern African weltwärts Network

Roweena Stewart talks about the goals of the Southern African weltwärts Network and the expectations towards the AGYI.

AGYI: Thank you very much for the opportunity to talk to you. The Southern African weltwärts Network (SAwN) was founded in 2014 and is a partner network of weltwärts in southern Africa. It has member organizations in Botswana, Mozambique, Lesotho, Namibia and South Africa. Could you please describe how you work together and what target the network has?

Roweena Stewart: We came together as we are all engaged in the management of the weltwärts program in our countries. Both on the sending and the hosting side. What we discovered is that we all really have a lot of similar challenges in the management of the program in southern Africa. We came together because we noticed that decisions made on the program in Germany were impacting the implementation in the southern Africa.

We wanted to be part of the process from the very beginning, not having decisions made for us without any context or input and which resultantly have a direct effect on the program. It is always easier to be when part of the process from the beginning to change things than to try and effect change when everything is finalised. We also realised that the information that we received was not always complete or was lacking.

Our aim is have one voice together, to collaborate with our partners at the steering committee level, to engage in the decision making processes so as to improve the quality of the exchange program for the volunteers and partner organisations in Southern Africa. We will share our information within our partners, so that as face the challenges , as a team, in collaboration with our German partners, we can ensuring best practices are optimised.

»It is always easier to change things when one is from the beginning part of the process.«

Roweena Stewart

AGYI: What are the advantages for weltwärts when partner organizations engage themselves strongly in the south?

Roweena Stewart: It is an exchange of information and experiences for young people, so they can learn how things really operate in different world. For someone who has grown up in really disadvantaged environments, this opportunity can be life changing. They intern can become change agents in their communities.

AGYI: And that is the added value for weltwärts, because weltwärts is all by them own, without SAwN they wouldn’t have access to all this organizations.

Roweena Stewart: They are really operating with each other, each one can be a qualified associate for weltwärts. The prime goal is to standardise and develop the programs in collaboration with our regional partners, as well as with our German partners. To share information, so everything is more efficient. It would also be in a southern African context, not in a German context, so it would be a partnership, not a directorship. It cannot be partnership if we are being told what to do or how it should be done and our German partners do not have any input from our side to maybe re-evaluate some of the guidelines.

AGYI: Can you tell me a little bit more about what is your experience about the expectation of young people from southern Africa and also from German young people when they apply for a volunteer program? Is there any difference between them?

Roweena Stewart: Truth must be told, a lot of them come with a desire to help, the basic desire is “I want to help”. “I want to contribute”.

AGYI: Are you referring to the Africans, Germans or both?

Roweena Stewart: I think both. Both have come from backgroungds of voluntary work, both have the desire to help, which is also part of the recruitment process. My belief is that German volunteers sometimes have other expectations of what their volunteer activities will be , opposed to the realities. All countries have different ways of doing things, and this takes time to comprehend and accept. Some come because they heard that it is a beautiful country, some because they really want to change something. German volunteers are often very organized, very functional, very business-like, for being a young person, but they have to comprehend that the Southern African region do not in the same manner as Germany. They do get to develop a sense of tolerance and acceptance towards our way of doing things a nd therefore I believe that they become more tolerant once they go back home. They pick up this valuable soft skill, and a lot of them are afraid they are going to lose it on their return in Germany.

AGYI: They changed.

Roweena Stewart: And we value that, so even if we cant teach you the hard skills, you can let us help you in terms of human skills. This is pretty much the benefits of the exchange.

AGYI: In your opinion, what are the most important factors to be considered for the voluntary program? What do young people have to take care of before going abroad in a voluntary program?

Roweena Stewart: They key skill is without a doubt adaptation, the ability to adapt to a different country, to a different culture, to embrace them and accept it. If you set your mind on adaptability you will have a pleasant time, if the volunteers lack of this ability, they will have a tough time. You have to keep in mind that you are not in Germany anymore, things go different, the people you work with or work for have had a different education than you, they have a completely different background than you, and if you keep that in mind and adjust yourself it will be a good time.

AGYI: Do you think that it changes and makes you reflect on your own culture?

Roweena Stewart: Definitely yes, you grow up with what you know, and at a young age you have to formulate your own point of view which you will have to put under question as soon as you learn another culture. You will have to ask yourself what you really believe in and how this is going to change yourself as an individual. I saw it in my daughter, how she changed after an exchange, how her point of view changed.

AGYI: What did you see in your daughter when she came back? Which skills did she develop or what was changed about her?

Roweena Stewart: She surprised me when she left, first of all, that she managed on her own, she surprised me that she could cope. She came back mature, independent, open for discussion, with her own perspective, an the ability to see things differently and defend that new point of view. She came back with an idea of how the world could be, which is beautiful to see. It does change a young person, and in my opinion every young person should go somewhere abroad, because it makes such a difference.

AGYI: You are participating today in the opening event of the African-German Youth Initiative, what are your expectations from this initiative?

Roweena Stewart: One of our main expectations is to network with our German partners and our African partners, so we can develop our programs together, strengthen the South-North component particularly , exchange volunteers, information and plans. We really want to share and improve our programs, and this is a good opportunity for us to see how best it can works, and if it is interesting and good.

AGYI: And do you have any specific expectations for the future with African-German Youth Initiative, e.g. like networking …

Roweena Stewart: Absolutely, networking, gain support to help us establish a SAwN office so we can coordinate ourselves to become stronger and establish a database of all our partners which operate in the weltwärts program in the southern African regions. To develop and improve our programs, that is it all about, to improve as an organization but at the same time trying to help and improve our partners. Find a way to make it work, for SAwN and every other organization.

AGYI: Sounds very good, thank you very much for your time.

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